Which One?
In Utah we are BEYOND blessed by being surrounded by so many glorious temples of the Lord. However, all of the options can feel overwhelming. Here are five questions or tips to consider before picking which temple to get sealed at! All of these come from me, a wedding photographer and former LDS bride!
1. Sealing Room Size
Does this temple have a sealing room that fits all the guests me and my fiancé want to attend our sealing?
Do you need to have an exact guest count before picking a temple? No. Every couple is different, some only want their parents at the sealing, while others want all their cousins and neighbors there. But if you pick a temple with a medium sized sealing room when you actually need a large, you'll have to have some awkward conversations with your family.
Draper can have up to 72, but Cedar City can only hold 54
LOs angelos california temple - july 2024
2. Location
Is this temple a reasonable distance from where majority of guests reside at?
How long of a drive is it between the temple and reception venue? Most LDS weddings have a break between the sealing and the reception, which can give guests time to drive to varying locations. But that relocating time cuts into time you can spend with your friends and family.
3. Aesthetic
Does this temple match the aesthetic I want for my wedding photos?
Every temple is unique, even if they have similar layout designs. They each have their own history, artwork, and color schemes. Do you want the princess vibes that Payson gives? Or are you an older soul that gravitates temples like Manti?
payson,
Utah temple
AUGUST 2026
4. Flower Policy
Does this temple allow me to bring my flowers inside? If not, who can I give my flowers to during the sealing?
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see LDS couples make on their wedding day. They forget to put someone in charge of their flowers, and before they know it they are standing next to the temple exit with empty hands. So they have to send someone home to grab them, which delays the exit, and makes your guests wait even longer to take group photos with you.
Unfortunately most temples won't let you bring flowers all the way inside, but some let you keep your flowers in the first aid room or locker room during the sealing.
The best strategy I've seen for flowers is to have one member of your wedding party in charge of the flowers. Give them a cooler, fill it with cold plastic water bottles, lay a towel on top, then place the groomsmen boutonnieres, bridesmaids corsages, and the bride and grooms flowers inside. Have them leave the cooler in their car during the ceremony.
As soon as they exit the temple, they can go to the car and grab the cooler to start passing out flowers. Then that person can go stand directly in front of the exit doors and wait for you and your spouse to show up on the other side. (The person could also go inside and walk to where the exit doors are located and wait for you to show up). But what about the water bottles? Hand them out to your guests to drink as they leave the temple after pictures :)
5. Crowd Control
Is it important to me that I am the only bride on temple grounds while getting my photos taken?
On my wedding day, there was a couple taking bridal pictures by the front of the temple when I arrived, I felt kind of weird seeing another bride on my special day. In the brides room at the Bountiful temple, they have 4 desks/mirrors for brides to change in. Fortunately there was only one bride getting ready to exit when I walked in. But they quickly left and my mom and I had the room to ourselves for a few minutes.
After doing our exit, we all walked to the north side of the temple for pictures. Unfortunately there was a wedding couple and family already there taking pictures so we had to wait for our turn. Fortunately we had water bottles for our guests (absolute lifesaver in summer heat) and my husband and I had a chance to mingle with guests in a way that normally doesn't happen during LDS temple weddings. I am grateful for that, but deep down I wished that I was the only bride on the grounds at the time.
No matter which temple you get married in, there is no guarantee you will avoid seeing other brides. Multiple live sealings are happening every day, and lots of couples come to the temple a couple days before their wedding day to take bridal/formal photos. But if this is an absolute priority for you, then I'd recommend getting married in the middle of the week.
The biggest determining factor for how many brides you see is how many live sealing rooms the temple has
Manti, UTah Temple - August 2024
If this blog post helped you make a decision on which temple to get married at, make sure to share it with other engaged couples!
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